Wouldn't say so.
Gaming mice - do they really make any difference?
- Thread starter NeilF
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Wouldn't say so.
Anything over 2000 dpi is completely unnecessary and just marketing.
Most people need from between 400 to 1600 dpi and no more.
Many of the gaming mice sold today have poor sensors with unwanted features such as prediction and acceleration (many of those wont let you turn them off, in fact they rarely ever even tell you if they have it or not).
Build quality is another issue, just because you're paying £70 for a mouse doesn't mean it's going to be built any better than a £20 mouse, it can be very hit and miss.
That said, some gaming mice are generally good products, despite being rather overpriced.
You don't need a pro gaming mouse to be good and most of those gaming mice hold no real advantage over mice that Microsoft and Logitech produced en masse more than 10 years ago.
For example, pro Quake player Rapha still uses a Microsoft WMO 1.1a despite being sponsored by Steelseries (he simply added a Steelseries sticker to it).
The MS WMO 1.1a (and Intellimouse variant) is one of the best gaming mice ever produced, yet they cost less than £15. You don't always get what you pay for.
Most people need from between 400 to 1600 dpi and no more.
Many of the gaming mice sold today have poor sensors with unwanted features such as prediction and acceleration (many of those wont let you turn them off, in fact they rarely ever even tell you if they have it or not).
Build quality is another issue, just because you're paying £70 for a mouse doesn't mean it's going to be built any better than a £20 mouse, it can be very hit and miss.
That said, some gaming mice are generally good products, despite being rather overpriced.
You don't need a pro gaming mouse to be good and most of those gaming mice hold no real advantage over mice that Microsoft and Logitech produced en masse more than 10 years ago.
For example, pro Quake player Rapha still uses a Microsoft WMO 1.1a despite being sponsored by Steelseries (he simply added a Steelseries sticker to it).
The MS WMO 1.1a (and Intellimouse variant) is one of the best gaming mice ever produced, yet they cost less than £15. You don't always get what you pay for.
Totally, aslong as the mouse is a tidy weight and a decent feel. PHYSICAL differences to bog standard cheap jobs it helps.
I agree with nitram100, I went from an old generic logitech mouse to a Razer Mamba and the difference was incredible but there were also times where it gave me no advantage at all, it could sometimes feel too sensitive and inconsistent, however when I got a better mouse mat it seemed to respond so much better. There's next to no resistance now and it picks up even the slightest of movements which is such an improvement in games where you might be using a sniper rifle or some kind of zoomed weapon.
Soldato
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It's all about the weight and feel IMO so it doesn't matter if it's a cheap mouse from Tesco or a nice logitech one. Whatever suits your preference
Not true. The sensors used in mice make a massive difference.
A lot of low quality mice, and even "good" mice like all Steelseries ones have positive acceleration. I'm so used to playing games with 0 acceleration that if I started using one of those mice it would hurt my aim a lot, because I don't like acceleration. Then there's other things like lift off distance, mouse correction and negative acceleration that change based on the sensor.
The Deathadder is imo the best mouse you can buy. It has no acceleration, no mouse correction, high enough dpi to use in Windows without it being annoying slowly (MS Intellimouse with low dpi annoy me for this reason, even though the sensor is excellent) and it's cheap. It's one of the very few 5 button mice with flawless tracking.
Personally I don't buy into the marketing hype with all of these super-high DPI mice. DPI is just jargon that sells more mice to dullards and puts in place a system of planned obsolescence as the DPI inevitably increases and 'improves' with time. However I will say that having a well-designed mouse with plenty of extra buttons is a must-have for computer games. Will it make you a better player? I'm sure that's what the advertisements would like you to believe.
I'd go along with this, the ergonomics of mice make a huge difference.
I use a Logitech G7 which is a old mouse now but the ergonomics suit me perfectly so I'm still using it. I have exchanged it for a few other mice but I've always gone back.
I don't really buy into the dpi thing, I just like being able to switch sens on the fly which the G7 lets me do. I also like the fact its wireless, personally I'd trade the slight input delay for the freedom it allows.
Personally speaking, a mouse you find comfortable is always the most important thing.
If you go from a standard Microsoft mouse to a proper gaming mouse and then go back after about 2 months of use then you'll really see the massive difference.
It's not a gimmick, I'm the sort of person who'll never buy something without really looking into it.
It's not a gimmick, I'm the sort of person who'll never buy something without really looking into it.
Soldato
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IMO, as long as you have a decent mouse (ie not bottom end, but normal Logitech/MS etc optical is fine) it's more about the comfort than anything.
They don’t make you more accurate, if you’re a great gamer you could probably manage well with most mice. It does however give you options to change mouse speeds and incorporate different settings.
I have side buttons on the Rat5 I use, the first side button nearest the back is for walking, second one along is for free-view (looking around). In Arma 2, the game I play at the mo, its quite handy as its done just with a slight pressure of the thumb, so you can run/walk in one direction whilst looking around and flick back to walk/run and standard ahead view, all with a little pressure of the thumb.
That’s what make gaming mice great, config the mouse and you can do normal tasks easier...
I must admit dpi over a certain amount is pointless, however I have four general dpi speeds set (375, 500, 750 & 1000) and use them all for different things, the Rat5 goes upto 4000dpi but I prefer the lower settings for Arma 2, different for other games however. The precision aim button (also on the side) drops the dpi to a very stable sniper type speed..
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I have side buttons on the Rat5 I use, the first side button nearest the back is for walking, second one along is for free-view (looking around). In Arma 2, the game I play at the mo, its quite handy as its done just with a slight pressure of the thumb, so you can run/walk in one direction whilst looking around and flick back to walk/run and standard ahead view, all with a little pressure of the thumb.
That’s what make gaming mice great, config the mouse and you can do normal tasks easier...
I must admit dpi over a certain amount is pointless, however I have four general dpi speeds set (375, 500, 750 & 1000) and use them all for different things, the Rat5 goes upto 4000dpi but I prefer the lower settings for Arma 2, different for other games however. The precision aim button (also on the side) drops the dpi to a very stable sniper type speed..
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^ Anyone?
I think it does make a difference, I recently bought a "gaming" mouse and seriously it feels so much better in hand and the weight makes a good difference. There are also a few customizable buttons but I never really use them. Mainly its all about the feel. Doesn't even have to be expensive, just buy something that's comfortable. I bought mine on holiday in Bangladesh for equivalent ~£20. Hasn't failed me yet!
Soldato
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I went from:
A ball mouse -> bog standard microsoft laser mouse = Big improvement
Bog standard microsoft laser mouse -> Logitech MX518 = Big improvement
Logitech MX518 -> Logitech G500 = Small improvement
A ball mouse -> bog standard microsoft laser mouse = Big improvement
Bog standard microsoft laser mouse -> Logitech MX518 = Big improvement
Logitech MX518 -> Logitech G500 = Small improvement
More or less every mouse is very accurate, cheaper or dearer, it’s the hand holding the mouse that makes the biggest difference. Gaming mice allow you to config more which includes the dpi of the mouse i.e. Rat5 dpi = 125—4000 in increments of around 125dpi. I sometimes use high dpi for flying aircraft around, it seems easier, but for others it may be harder and they prefer low dpi its just a matter of taste.
A gaming mouse will not make you more accurate at shooting in-game, but the fact you can slow the dpi down to a very low setting may assist you when sniping, as you would have to move the mouse over a further distance to move the cursor on screen, therefore any hand shake, if you like, is eased by the lower dpi. Then the ability of changing back to a higher dpi at the click of a button on the side, or wherever, on your mouse makes for easier gaming.
Likewise maybe a fast fps game might benefit from higher dpi, this would make your looking around movement in the game quite fast, but possibly less accurate, so to have a click of a button to reduce the dpi movement of the mouse slightly for more accurate shooting etc is a help..
You just don't know, its the user that is the biggest influence...
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Like others have send, the DPI is a gimmick.
Most professional CS players used to use the IntelliMouse 3.0, best mouse by a country mile. For some daft reason Microsoft decided to stop making it, hence why most people switched.
Cost me £20 and it still works perfectly to this day.
Most professional CS players used to use the IntelliMouse 3.0, best mouse by a country mile. For some daft reason Microsoft decided to stop making it, hence why most people switched.
Cost me £20 and it still works perfectly to this day.
You will get many many different opinions on this topic.
To answer the thread title, IMO - No.
I would say there is a difference between buying a really cheap bargain bucket mouse (like search for mice, sort list by price and buy the cheapest one) is worse than buying a standard mouse from a reputable brand. For example, years ago when I upgraded my rig I bought a new optical USB mouse, it really was the cheapest one in a price list, like £2.99. It was a bad buy as the build quality was bad, it was really light and had no weight to it, a few months later after a lot of gaming use it started to play up and then stopped working. I learnt that its best to buy from a good brand, like Microsoft or Logitech etc, it may mean that the 'standard' mouse will cost more like £10 but it will last much longer. As for 'gaming' mice, I think they are a gimmick.
As I type I am using a Logitech standard PS/2 Optical mouse on my gaming rig. Perfect and was damn cheaper than any 'gaming' mouse.
To answer the thread title, IMO - No.
I would say there is a difference between buying a really cheap bargain bucket mouse (like search for mice, sort list by price and buy the cheapest one) is worse than buying a standard mouse from a reputable brand. For example, years ago when I upgraded my rig I bought a new optical USB mouse, it really was the cheapest one in a price list, like £2.99. It was a bad buy as the build quality was bad, it was really light and had no weight to it, a few months later after a lot of gaming use it started to play up and then stopped working. I learnt that its best to buy from a good brand, like Microsoft or Logitech etc, it may mean that the 'standard' mouse will cost more like £10 but it will last much longer. As for 'gaming' mice, I think they are a gimmick.
As I type I am using a Logitech standard PS/2 Optical mouse on my gaming rig. Perfect and was damn cheaper than any 'gaming' mouse.
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Aye, the 3.0 was excellent. Shame about the shoddy feel of the side buttons and wheel. In spite of it feeling flimsy, it seemed to be built like a tank though?!
After using quite a few different "gaming" mice (all of which were a huge improvement over a standard optical, not to mention ball!), i'd say the MX518 - or G400 as it is now known - is the best overall. Logitech make solid products, have superb customer service and don't charge as much of a premium.
The best, when it worked, was the Steelseries Ikari. Mine developed the double click fault in the left mouse button though; an issue it was famous for. It was also by far the comfiest mouse I have used.
The Deathadder would also pip the MX518... if the build quality wasn't so terrible. I had 3 in just over a year and each one developed a problem with the cable, causing an error message stating the USB device had been unplugged. One of the three also had the double click problem that the Ikari suffered from.
tl:dr - try the G400.
After using quite a few different "gaming" mice (all of which were a huge improvement over a standard optical, not to mention ball!), i'd say the MX518 - or G400 as it is now known - is the best overall. Logitech make solid products, have superb customer service and don't charge as much of a premium.
The best, when it worked, was the Steelseries Ikari. Mine developed the double click fault in the left mouse button though; an issue it was famous for. It was also by far the comfiest mouse I have used.
The Deathadder would also pip the MX518... if the build quality wasn't so terrible. I had 3 in just over a year and each one developed a problem with the cable, causing an error message stating the USB device had been unplugged. One of the three also had the double click problem that the Ikari suffered from.
tl:dr - try the G400.